What Are A Victim’s Rights?

If you have been paying attention to the news lately, you’ve likely heard a lot of debate about where the victim stands in the eyes of the law. There is often so much going on in a case that the victim may get overlooked, or they may not get the care or attention that they need in order to be an effective witness during the trial process.

Forgotten Victims

The problem is, crimes usually are incredibly traumatic for the victim that has been affected. There is so much going on, and because of that, it may end up becoming more about the trial instead of taking care of the person who has been victimized. But what are the rights of the person who has been victimized?

That’s where the question comes in. As we’ve seen with college cases, sometimes, the victim gets a bit of counseling, but they have to walk around knowing that their predator is still out there, and could hurt them again. In other cases, the victims are kept under lock and key, protected from anyone who could harm them until the case is over. It’s quite a stark difference between what happens.

So, What Can We Do?

The biggest issue here, many say, is during the trials themselves. The victim has to sit there, usually in front of the person that harmed them, and they have to say what happened in detail. On top of that, it’s usually to the defendant’s lawyer, who is trying to make it seem like the victim is at fault. It’s all a very stressful and traumatic experience. Get help from a Toronto Lawyer like David Cohn. Toronto Criminal Lawyer David Cohn has been practicing law for over 30 years now. Criminal lawyers Toronto, Downtown area.

Thankfully, things are starting to change. As technology advances and as laws change, it’s become a lot easier for victims to be able to testify against those who have harmed them without as much fear as they had before. Exceptions can be made, and things can be done to ensure that the full process is gone through with, without causing the victim additional trauma.

How do you think victims of crimes should be treated? What can be done in order to make sure that they have the dignity and the care that they need in order to help them avoid further trauma down the road? Should there be special laws put into place in order to ensure that these persons are getting the justice they deserve without sacrificing even more of themselves?